“Holy crap,” Josie shrieked as one went straight for her. She dipped and spun around. Stumbling back into the wall, her wide eyes met mine. It was written on her face, how bad this was.

“Gods.” Alex hit the ground, narrowly avoiding one of them. “They smell like the River Styx.” Rolling onto her side, she used her legs to power back onto her feet. “So freaking gross.”

“Keep out of their grasp,” Aiden ordered, picking himself back up. “There’s nothing we can do about them.”

Josie darted to the left, scowling as one grabbed at her long hair. “We need a furie. Like, stat.”

Yeah, and like always, those bitches were nowhere to be found when you actually needed them.

It was chaotic, engaging with Atlas while avoiding the shades. One stream of black smoke grabbed hold of Deacon and lifted him all the way up to the ceiling, and that caught Luke and Aiden’s attention. They rushed across the atrium, and the tugging in my chest returned as Aiden sent a bolt of akasha at the shade. It dropped Deacon.

Right on top of them.

Atlas stalked across the atrium, heading for the stairwell. I shot in from the right. Beyond him, I saw Josie also heading for him. I wanted to warn her back, but we had the poisoned blades. He was halfway to the staircase when Solos came running up from behind Josie.

The Titan whipped around so fast that by the time any of us realized what he was doing, it was too late. He caught Solos by the arm with one hand and then hit him in the chest with the other—no, not hit. His hand went through Solos’s chest.

Josie screamed as blood sprayed out from Solos’s back.

I skidded to a halt, stunned as Atlas jerked his hand back. Red was everywhere, and in Atlas’s hand was something that belonged inside of Solos’s chest.

His heart.

Blood drained so quickly from Solos’s face as his legs crumpled under him. He folded like a piece of paper. Hit the floor and didn’t move. Down. Done. That was it.

“I am so done with this,” Atlas said, his hand closing around the organ, destroying it.

All of my restraint broke.

Rage tore through me, ripped me right open. I shouted, the sound echoing through the room, and out of the fury and the grief I reached out, throwing my arms out to the sides. I dropped the poisoned blade as the monster in my chest fully woke up. It recognized all the power in the room—in Alex and Aiden, in Hercules and even in Gable, but especially in Josie. It whispered to me to take. It dug in deep and demanded revenge and promised retribution.

I let the monster take over.